— Ch. 1 · Origins And Development History —
A Clockwork Orange (film).
~6 min read · Ch. 1 of 6
Anthony Burgess sold the film rights to his 1962 novel for a modest sum shortly after its publication. The project initially targeted the rock band the Rolling Stones as potential stars, with Mick Jagger expressing interest in playing Alex. British filmmaker Ken Russell attached himself to direct the adaptation before the deal fell apart. Film historian William K. Everson noted that both the Beatles and the Rolling Stones were considered for various roles throughout the 1960s. Screenplay writer Terry Southern drafted an early script specifically designed around the Beatles. Executive producer Si Litvinoff sent a letter to prospective director John Schlesinger in February 1968. This letter included a petition signed by Jagger and all four Beatles requesting their involvement. Stanley Kubrick eventually secured the rights after these earlier attempts failed due to issues with the British Board of Film Classification. Kubrick read the shortened US edition of the book first because his American publisher had deleted the final chapter. He claimed he did not read the complete original version until almost finishing his screenplay. The missing chapter contained a positive ending where Alex matures and outgrows his sociopathy. Kubrick found this optimistic conclusion unconvincing and inconsistent with the rest of the story.
Cinematic Production Techniques
Filming took place between September 1970 and April 1971 at locations like Thamesmead South Housing Estate. Kubrick utilized extreme wide-angle lenses such as the Kinoptik Tegea 9.8 mm for 35 mm Arriflex cameras to create a distorted visual style. Actor Malcolm McDowell scratched his cornea during the Ludovico technique scene and was temporarily blinded. A real physician stood next to him dropping saline solution into his forced-open eyes to prevent drying. McDowell also cracked some ribs while filming the humiliation stage show sequence. A unique special effect involved dropping a Newman-Sinclair clockwork camera in a box from the third storey of the Corus Hotel. This camera survived six takes when dropped lens-first toward the ground. Kubrick researched meticulously with thousands of photographs taken of potential locations before shooting began. McDowell stated that Kubrick liked total control over every detail including buying shampoo. The director helped design the uniform for Alex's gang by asking McDowell to wear a jockstrap on top of his cricket whites instead of underneath it. The film employed fast-motion sequences for the sex scenes and slow-motion for fights to alter the viewer's perception of time.